MADISON, Alabama - The Madison City Council will meet in a rare Wednesday night session because of Tuesday's municipal election, which forced the council to move its regular fourth Monday meeting to tonight.

The council will address for the fourth time a proposed ordinance to amend the Code of Ordinances relating to right-of-way improvements and another relating to municipal cemeteries.

"The city has a responsibility to its citizens to closely monitor activity occurring within our rights-of-way, especially any work that involves alteration of a paved surface," said City Attorney Kelly Butler. "Public Works, engineering and legal have met with numerous utility providers (both private and public) to discuss the proposed permitting policy.

"We feel we have developed an ordinance that will allow the city to maintain control over its rights-of-way while allowing the utilities sufficient freedom to provide routine maintenance as well as emergency services to their customers and our citizens. The bottom line is communication and we are optimistic that this amendment will promote ongoing, productive conversations between the city and all of its utility providers."

Concerning the city's cemeteries, Butler said the current cemetery committee, which was organized several years ago, focused only on Royal Cemetery, and this ordinance will establish the Municipal Cemetery Committee and assign its duties.

However, she said the city has "realized a need to have that committee expand its concerns to all of the city-owned cemeteries so that they might assist public works in providing a comprehensive plan for their overall maintenance and improvement."

Other items the council will consider include a proposal to approve the annual appropriation agreement of $1,500 with the Madison City Disability Advocacy Board; a resolution approving the Bradford Creek Phase I settlement; and a resolution declaring property from the old Fire Station No. 2 as surplus and of negligible value and authorizing its demolition.

The council meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Madison Municipal Complex, 100 Hughes Road.